Nov 4/1887
The Camp Sunningdale*1 My dear Sir*2 The probability or otherwise of the Expedition to the Antarctic regions which is contemplated by the Australian Colonies*3 yielding results of interest to the Royal Society appears to me to depend[?] upon[?] the precise object to be arrived at & the course to be pursued towards its attainment. Upon neither of these points is the Committee well informed.
In the existing state of our knowledge of the Antarctic regions & in view of their further exploration, there is one object which I think[?] could be attained by such an Expedition as the Colonists[?] anticipate finding funds for, & it is one which that should in my view be attained before any further attempts are made to reach high Southern latitudes by means of well equipped expeditions of great cost; which alone are to be depended upon for such a service[?]. I refer to the circumnavigation of the Antarctic Ocean for the purpose of ascertaining approximately, in all meridians, the position of the northern edge of the Pack or Barrier ice which, with probably some breaks, girdles the Globe to the southward of Latitude 60°S.
The result of many attempts to reach high southern Latitudes or to discover land within the Antarctic circle, appears to show, that the position of this Pack or Barrier, whether abutting upon land to the south of it, or extending over[?] large areas of ocean (with or without open water to the south of it) follows a very sinuous northern outline. It has been found presenting an impassable obstacle to strengthened ships in 63°S. Latitude in one Meridian, whilst in another open water has been found up to the 79th degree. An examination of the record of some of these[?] attempts further shows that the vast ice fields known as the pack undergo slow but great changes in position, leaving,( probably for successive years, considerable tracts of[?]

comparatively or wholly free from ice up to a very high Latitude, to be closed again for a future prolonged period. As an example Weddell*4 in 1823 sailed in an unfortified cutter to 74° 30' South, & returned without having even seen the pack, though the weather was perfectly clear. On the other hand Ross*5, in 1843, found in the same meridian an impenetrable barrier of old ice in Lat[itude] 65° 13' S.; & after spending a season in battling with the pack, & penetrating it for 27 miles in his fortified ships, he only succeeded in reaching 71° 30' South, on a longitude [word illeg crossed out] to the Eastward of Weddell's tracks[?]. Similar attempts have been made to follow in the tracks of Cook*6, Bellingshausen*7, Balleny*8, Biscoe*9 & others who have attained high Latitudes, all tending to show, that the position & condition of the Pack is subject to great changes, & that a weak[?] appointed expedition might lose several seasons in searching for open water, or in engaging the [words illeg crossed out] Pack to no purpose, & this for want of information that a preliminary ice charting[?] voyage might have supplied.
The hardships & perils of a circumnavigation between the parallels of 60° & 70° S are no greater that what the whalers & sealers who visit those regions have encountered in their calling[?], & in their searches for islets upon which to catch seals & boil down whales blubber; & to which searcher we owe so much of the little we do know of those [word illeg crossed out] the Antarctic regions. The Commander of such an Expedition as I have indicated should be instructed not to enter the ice under any conditions whatever, however strong the "water-blink" over it; & not to follow mere leads of open water in the pack.
I should not suggest the employment of a scientific staff upon such an expedition, because the opportunities of studying phenomena or objects in detail must be very rare indeed in seas that are ever[?] turbulent & harassed throughout the summer by heavy gales, snow storms & Fogs.

The Hydrological & Meteorological observations, which would be of the first importance, might be undertaken by some of the officers trained for the purpose, & an a good naturalist, also trained for the purpose, could not fail by the use of the towing net, & of the dredge at moderate depths, of obtaining an abundant harvest of pelagic animal & plant life for future investigation. An expedition thus limited as to its aims, would I think obtain, in one season, a corrected[?] account of the physical features of the Antarctic Ocean such as has hitherto never been attempted, together with a valuable store of scientific materials, physical & biological, that would amply repay the cost & the risk incurred.
Faithfully y[ou]r | Jos D Hooker
Prof Foster*2 S[e]c[retar]y R[oyal] S[oceity] & & &